Melting Temp
Sensitivity
Availability
Datasheet Category
Cool Time Relationship
Medium
High
Processing Properties
Direct Variation
Melting Temp for a given part’s material is the temperature at which the material transitions from a solid to liquid and becomes suitable for injection. The material typically reaches this temperature only at the final stage of the barrel, in order to prevent thermal degradation of material properties. Cooling time increases as Melting Temp increases.
Melting Temp is typically provided under the Processing Properties category in the specification and is usually readily available.
Note: For materials whose Eject Deflection Temp is close to its Mold Temp, accurate cost estimates depend crucially on accurate values for Melting Temp; that is, costs are very sensitive to changes in Melting Temp when Eject Deflection Temp is close to Mold Temp.
See also Estimating Melting Temp.
Estimating Melting Temp
If you want to add a new material to your Digital Factory, and you cannot obtain Melting Temp from a material’s specification, you can use the Melting Temp for a similar base polymer. Typically, little or no adjustment is needed. Note the following:
• Glass fill typically has little impact on this value, as it is the temperate at which the state of the base polymer changes.
• There is no systematic difference between values for commodity versus engineering polymers. Engineering polymers can have lower melting points but higher chemical resistance, for example.
• There is a wide range of values for both amorphous and semi-crystalline materials. Molecular structure affects how the polymer transitions between the different states more than it affects the temperature at which it transitions: semi-crystalline materials tend to have a sharper melting point.